A former Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy was sentenced Friday to 40 years in jail for sexually abusing 4 younger women.
Sean Essex, 53, a deputy for greater than 22 years till his arrest in 2022, was sentenced by Decide George G. Lomeli instantly after he pleaded no contest to repeatedly sexually abusing the women, whose ages ranged from 4 to 13.
The veteran deputy was taken into custody and charged in 2022 after investigators documented repeated sexual abuse of the three younger daughters of a ladies Essex was relationship. Essex was additionally charged with abusing one other lady in 2006. Prosecutors had discovered of that allegation again in 2006 however didn’t cost him on the time.
“The horrific sexual abuse that Mr. Essex inflicted on these younger victims has not solely violated his oath as a regulation enforcement officer to guard and serve the neighborhood, but in addition has left these youngsters with life-long trauma,” Dist. Atty. George Gascón stated in saying the sentencing. “Youngsters have an inviolate proper to security and safety. The victims have proven super braveness in coming ahead to discuss their abuse by the hands of Mr. Essex.”
Essex pleaded no contest to 3 counts of steady sexual abuse of a kid beneath 14 and one depend of lewd and lascivious acts on a toddler beneath 14. As well as, he admitted to making the most of a place of belief within the fee of the crime and that one sufferer was particularly weak, in line with prosecutors.
On the time he was initially arrested by his personal division’s inside affairs and particular victims unit in April 2022, Essex was assigned to the sheriff’s coaching bureau. Essex was launched on bond however rearrested in August 2022 and has remained behind bars since then, jail information present.
The unique 33-count indictment filed in 2022 included the costs of sexual abuse towards the sisters and the lady he abused in 2006, which the district legal professional’s workplace declined to prosecute on the time.
Based on Spencer Lucas, an legal professional for the sisters and their household, Essex was in a romantic relationship with the mom of his victims at one level. Based on the indictment, he was dwelling with the women when he sexually abused two of them.
One of many sisters was youthful than 10 on the time, prosecutors stated, and the 2 others have been youthful than 14. Essex groomed the women and remained near them even after he and their mom broke up, in line with Lucas.
“He would decide up the women individually in his L.A. County sheriff’s patrol car, and he would take the women and he would abuse them within the patrol automobile,” Lucas informed The Occasions after the indictment. Lucas stated a number of the abuse occurred in a Sheriff’s Division parking zone.
On Friday, Lomeli ordered Essex to pay restitution to the victims in an quantity that the courtroom will decide.
